"The reason is simple; no recognition, no normalisation. Just Boycott, divestment and sanctions, until the Apartheid state is defeated."

Mr Galloway has long been known as a supporter of the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel and a campaigner against the war in Iraq.

The maverick MP, who once appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, was ejected from the Labour Party in 2003 for his attack on the leadership over the Iraq War. He formed his own political party, Respect, which won and then lost a seat in Bethnal Green.

Mr Galloway swept to victory in Bradford in March last year, securing a 10,000-plus majority in what he called a "massive rejection" of mainstream parties.

The constituency has a large Muslim population but Mr Galloway has repeatedly refused to answer questions about his own faith, dismissing rumours of a conversion ten years ago as "totally untrue".